Scones
Cold butter, a barely-mixed dough, and a straight cut down. Twelve minutes from bowl to oven.
- Prep
- 15m
- Cook
- 14m
- Total
- 29m
- Serves
- 8 scones
- Effort
- Easy
Scale
Units
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done. Tap an ingredient once for got it, twice for need it.
| 2 cups | Rub the butter in until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs 5m Fingertips only, and stop while pea-sized lumps remain. | Bring together with a knife, barely 3m Shaggy is correct. Kneading makes them tough. | Pat to 3 cm thick, cut straight down, glaze the tops 6m Never twist the cutter — it seals the edge and the scone rises lopsided. | Bake at 220°C / 425°F until risen and golden 14m | |
| 1/4 cup | |||||
| 2 tbsp | |||||
| 1/4 tsp | |||||
| 1/2 cup | |||||
| 1 | |||||
| 1 tbsp | |||||
| 60 g | |||||
-
Rub the butter in until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs
5m- self-raising flour 2 cups
- cold unsalted butter 1/4 cup
- caster sugar 2 tbsp
- fine salt 1/4 tsp
Fingertips only, and stop while pea-sized lumps remain.
-
Bring together with a knife, barely
3m- from 1 Rub the butter in until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs
- whole milk 1/2 cup
- egg 1
Shaggy is correct. Kneading makes them tough.
-
Pat to 3 cm thick, cut straight down, glaze the tops
6m- from 2 Bring together with a knife, barely
- milk for glazing 1 tbsp
Never twist the cutter — it seals the edge and the scone rises lopsided.
-
Bake at 220°C / 425°F until risen and golden
14m- from 3 Pat to 3 cm thick, cut straight down, glaze the tops
- sultanas (optional) 60 g
The lumps do the lifting
Pea-sized pieces of cold butter melt in the oven and leave pockets; the water in them turns to steam and pushes the layers apart. Rub the butter in completely and you get a uniform, cakey scone. Warm hands are the enemy — work fast, and if the dough starts to feel greasy, chill it.
Notes
- Cut straight down. A twisted cutter pinches the edge closed.
- Bake them close together on the tray. Touching sides support each other and rise higher.
- They are at their best within two hours. Freeze them raw and bake from frozen instead of keeping them.